Dama de Copas – Professional Bra Fitting in Lisbon

One of the first things that happened during my pregnancy, was the changes in my breasts. They went down two whole cup sizes. While the breasts themselves didn’t really get all that much smaller, my ribcage got wider during the pregnancy. This resulted in me needing smaller cup sizes and a bigger band size. Needless to say, once Benjamin was born, things got more or less back to normal. So while in Portugal I decided to go to a store I’d been wanting to visit for a very long time: Dama de Copas.

MY FIRST PROFESSIONAL BRA FITTING

I have been measured before, but never really had a real professional bra fitting. Dama de Copas is a store specialized with bra fittings. The atmosphere is very relaxing and the ladies super nice. You get in and are greeted by one of the sales ladies, who takes your name and then calls someone who will accompany you through the whole experience. I got a lovely lady named Sílvia and couldn’t be happier with her help and expertize! You are then sent to a dressing room upstairs. There you have wipes to clean yourself up if you feel like it and a lovely silk robe.

I had a breast reduction almost 10 years ago and know very much about (my) breasts and how bras should fit – which made things easier in our fitting. I was wearing a bra from H&M in 85 F, the equivalent to a 38 F. My back and rib cage are very narrow, which is interesting considering I am plus size. The bras I used to get were always way too large in the back, in order to fit in the breast. I used to wear 42 D or 40 E, which are completely wrong sizes for me! I may have a similar size as before, but the “needs” of the breasts change after pregnancy. Regardless if you breastfed or not, after pregnancy breasts may change in shape, size and feel.

THE BRA FITTING PROCESS AND MY PERFECT SIZE

Sílvia told me I was already wearing a pretty good sized bra and that helped narrow my size down. We were very fortunate and the first bra I tried on was a perfect size! However, sometimes women need to try on various sizes before they find “the one”.

She then brought a ton of bras, all different models, for me to try on. Depending on the model, the sizes may vary slightly, even in bras from the same brand. After trying them all on, I ended up deciding on two different models. I also learned my perfect size is a 38 FF, which really wasn’t far off from the one I was wearing.

MORE THAN JUST BRAS

Dama de Copas does not only sell regular bras, they also have swimsuits and maternity bras. A lot of people think the store only caters to bigger breast sizes, but that is very wrong! They sell bras from AA cups to H cups and even do group fittings (if you make an appointment). I went into the store without an appointment and was lucky to get one on the spot, but that is not always the case. If you ever do a professional bra fitting, you should also expect it to take anywhere from 45 min to 1,5 hours.

I was worried because I had left Markus with Benjamin outside at a coffee shop, but the ladies were extremely nice and said they could come and wait downstairs for me. They even let us prepare Benjamin’s bottle and provided us with warm water for it. And from what I gather, he was a little flirt the whole time they were waiting for me.

IN CONCLUSION

Getting a professional bra fitting was not only a great experience, it also taught me my perfect bra size. Sílvia and all of the other ladies working there were super nice and really made us feel welcome. Not everyone is as welcoming of babies as they all were – regardless of how well behaved or flirty Benjamin is. Sílvia made me feel at ease and answered all of my questions. Everyone in the store also speaks English and some of the ladies also speak French – no excuses to stop by, even if you’re only on vacation in Lisbon! Have you ever had a professional bra fitting?

Hi, I’m Rosie

I'm a new mom trying to get the hang of this motherhood thing.

Here I share easy recipes that don't require you to be a professional chef; review makeup products that won't break your bank account; show day-to-day outfits I actually wear and share my adventures alongside a baby boy with a "strong personality".